This invention relates to belt restraints used for restraining a passenger while seated in a motor vehicle and more particularly to an automobile belt restraining apparatus which provides improved passenger comfort.
Most motor vehicles contain some type of belt restraint which is used to resrain a passenger while the passenger is seated in the vehicle. A common form of belt restraint is the three-point type having a combination of a shoulder belt and lap belt, with the shoulder belt extending from an upperpart of the vehicle frame diagonally across the shoulder and chest of a passenger and interconnecting with the lap belt which extends across the passenger's lap. Although this three-point belt restraint has proven to be one of the safest belt restraints currently used in motor vehicles, many passengers find the shoulder belt uncomfortable, since it engages the neck, causing a rubbing of the skin and chaffing.
Heretofore, attempts have been made to position the belt away from the passenger's neck without sacrificing the practical safety of the belt. For example, one prior device uses the door of the vehicle to support a bracket and flexible strap to pull the shoulder belt away from the passenger's neck, while another prior device adjusts the height of the shoulder belt through an auxiliary strap running over the seat back. However, it is believed these devices have not proven to be commercially successful, since they are cumbersome and difficult to use.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive belt restraining apparatus of the described type, and which supports the shoulder belt at a location separated from the neck of the passengers, to thereby improve passenger comfort.
A further object of this invention is to provide an auxiliary strap for use in adjusting the position of the shoulder belt in three-point type safety belts, and which is simple and inexpensive.
Another object of this invention is to provide an auxiliary strap for use in adjusting the position of the shoulder belt in three-point type safety belts, and which can adjust the position of the shoulder belt without interfering with the practical safety of the belt.